Hii

I'm becoming increasingly depressed/anxious/dysphoric... so i want to try to become a little happier. What things do you do to help yourself? Low energy things, high energy things, everything inbetween. im keen to know lol.

taking a walk or a bike ride, rain or shine always helps me. past that just taking care of my daily routine (shave, makeup, wash my face, etc), or enjoying a warm drink while looking outside are pleasant and help my mood

nature. taking a walk in the trees and listening to the birds. it can be 20° and as long as i dress for the weather it works a treat. if energy is low, i can always find a bench or bring a camp chair and just sit. nature and walking are so good for the mood. add birding and i get the benefits of mindfulness because i'm putting my intention on identifying the birds i'm seeing and hearing. anyway nature is my thing.

Dog.

That is all.

I make something. Cooking, art, craft, project, whatever.

I hug my wife. No need to explain about what's on my mind, just unconditional hugs.

Cook something from scratch.

Play a musical instrument.

Hug my kids.

Go outdoors/be in nature (the further away from civilization, the better).

Watch a new show with my wife.

Find a new band to listen to.

Bake a sweet potato.

I'm too dysphoric about my body to even enjoy doing that. I wouldn't want a person to notice my size.

So, I'm a very low energy person with pretty extreme sensory and anxiety issues that I manage. I say this not to suggest that I have developed especially effective strategies, but to clarify that exceptional cases like mine typically require fairly specific and often unorthodox strategies that often do not apply to most people.

Some people will call it unhealthy (and it easily can be), but I typically take a weak edible/ smoke a little weed or tobacco, and then just kind of rest and relax in an unstimulating space. This isn't to get high, but literally because I often require immediate relief to make use of any other management strategy. It isn't enough to simply pause that pain for a time, and it can easily escalate to a reliance, and nicotine introduces practically a certainty of addiction, and so itself must be used very sparringly.

The goal of that rest is to return to a bearable window of tolerance where other strategies can then be applied. When I smoke, I put on an outfit I feel good/confident in, and then sit in a backyard, balcony, or nature trail with relative privacy to exist as myself as I return to that baseline. That way, I enter that window of tolerance at a higher energy level even if just because I have relieved that pain while introducing a reminder of what motivates me to manage these things.

In a more general way, mild exercise (literally, all you need is 15-30 minutes a week), space maintenance (cleaning maybe just one room, or even just a desk or bathroom vanity), adding something nice to my spaces that I don't always use (like a scented candle or a floor time setup), and then using only low stimulation entertainment, and typically only one form of stimulation at a time instead of say, a movie with subway surfers on my phone and hyperpop in one ear.

Dunno if that would all apply to you, but I hope at least some of it does (or helps anyone else here).

I can understand that. And in my case I can only do this because we've been together for over 20 years. I feel comfortable with her on a level that I find hard to describe.
Just being able to cuddle up with her, put my head on her shoulder, and just let my pent-up feelings out while she holds me, it's... good.

Edit: Sometimes I'm too focused on what I want to say that I don't focus on what is being said.
I'm sorry your dysphoria doesn't let you enjoy a good hug :(

Well I haven't been hugged in like... 3 years, not since I left my abusive ex, and those hugs weren't good. I can imagine getting hugs as if I'm a girl in my head, don't really think it's possible to enjoy it in real life. I pretty much only exist in daydreams and my body is just the machine that runs my consciousness.

Cat

I watch comfort shows (mine is The Good Place but i am rewatching Centaurworld and i like it) and I might sing or draw something. I also enjoy listening to songs I like.

Other than entertainment and hobbies, sometimes when I'm feeling down I prefer to go take a shower and do chores. Thinking about many things is fine, but sometimes focusing on one thing can be calming.

Well, I like going on little drives to relax. Could be somewhere away from the city, or even just through a new part of town that I haven't explored yet. To make it better, I'll download a new album or two from an artist or a genre that I like, and listen to it while I drive.

Or sometimes I'll buy some affirming clothing from the internet. It's fun, relatively cheap, and it gives me something to look forward to while I wait for it to arrive.

Other than that, being in nature is always fun. And if you can bring someone along who you're comfortable with, it's even better.